10 Bold Predictions For Wrestling In 2023

7. A MAJOR Babyface Turns Heel

Jon Moxley AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
AEW

Wrestling moves so quickly that it's almost cruel.

Jon Moxley is the one wrestler you are sure is a sound guy in real life. He has observed the wrestling landscape, its excesses, and has adopted a style in defiance of boring, overdone trends. His violent anti-epic combat sports energy is amazing. His total disregard for marathon false finishes makes his work feel vivid, elusive, dramatic. He is a world class promo and uses that time to get over as the coolest, wittiest, most dangerous and most admirable person in the industry. He has somehow contrived to resonate as a hero to millennial fans who should be too old and jaded to believe in the very concept.

And yet, it feels as though he has peaked as a babyface, which is incredible, since he received some cheers in Chicago against CM Punk at All Out.

Recent matches against Juice Robinson, Lee Moriarty and Penta El Zero Miedo have detracted from his Wrestler of the Year case. They were good, but didn't click into that mind-blowing gear he thrust into so frequently over the summer.

His winning the World title at Grand Slam didn't help. The safe and obvious choice felt unadventurous. It feels like he is ready for a new challenge, and a heel Jon Moxley providing close friend Eddie Kingston the assist to super-stardom is an incredible prospect, as crazy as that might read given his enduring babyface appeal.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!